Sobering thought.

Minute’s silence for murdered women

A MINUTE’S silence will be held outside the Dail today in memory of the 107 women murdered in Ireland over the last 108 months.

Women’s Aid has organised the public expression of solidarity, against the backdrop of a giant ‘In Memoriam’ card’ in order to mark International Day Against Violence Against Women. Each of the murdered women will be represented by a white lily. Women’s Aid director Margaret Martin said: “There have been 107 women murdered in 108 months – more than 80pc of them by a man known to them and almost half of them by a current or former partner. The seriousness of the levels of violence against women in Ireland today and the failure of the system to keep women safe cannot be over-emphasised, and the tragic reality is that women are paying the ultimate price of their lives.”

Ms Martin criticised the Government’s handling of the issue of violence against women, saying funding was inadequate.

Women’s Aid is a voluntary body which provides information, support and advocates on behalf of women experiencing violence in their homes. The organisation operates a 12-hour, seven-day national freephone helpline service.

Grainne Cunningham

© Irish Independent

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